Furnituke upholstering



March 24, 1964 D. J. DICKERSON FURNITURE UPI-IOLSTERING Filed Feb. 20, 1962 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,126,229 FURNITURE UPHGLSTERDIG Delbert J. Dickerson, R0. Box 6, Agoura, Calif, assignor of one-half to Jon Hall, Malibu, Calif. Filed Feb. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 174,557 9 Claims. (Cl. 297-455) This invention has for its general object to facilitate and simplify the upholstering of furniture in the category of chairs, stools and other forms which are made to include a frame structure into one or more areas of which cushioned upholsterings are accommodated. As illustrative, the invention will be described with reference to upholstered chairs and stools having either or both cushioned seats and backs.

More particularly, my general object is to provide for such upholstering, to complete elimination of any neces sity for the use of conventional fasteners, adhesives or the like, to retain the cushions and their coverings in proper condition within the furniture bodies or frames. In this same aspect, my purpose is to so relate the retaining portion of the frame structure to the contained cushion and covering, that the latter are installed and removable for any of such purposes as to clean, replace or substitute different coverings, by the simple procedure of thrusting the cushion and its covering into peripherally confined but releasably retained engagement with specially formed portions of the body or frame.

structurally, the invention contemplates forming the frame with a recessed area peripherally defined by a unitary, or in effect integral flange which is turned inwardly into said area to present thereto a cushion retaining edge. The cushion used is a resiliently compressible material such as foam rubber, or the equivalent, which is capable of considerable compression in relation to its thickness, and which when considerably compressed beneath the flange, will press and maintain the covering against the flange edge with sufficient pressure to retain the covering smoothly tensioned against and bulging outwardly from the flange edge.

Preferably the flange is given a sectional curved configuration so as to present a definite retaining edge, with suflicient space outwardly from the edge, to accommodate the cushion and covering in less compressed condition than at the flange edge. As will appear, such configuration may be provided by forming the frame, or at least that portion thereof about the cushion area, of turned or rolled metal or resin-impregnated glass fabric, which presents functionally a stiff retaining flange which can be given a pleasing appearance by inward curvature about the bulged covering.

All the features and objects of the invention, as well as the details of certain illustrative embodiments, will be understood more fully from the following detailed description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective showing of an illustrative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section taken in the plane of line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective showing of a variational form of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section in the plane of line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary showing of the beveled periphery of the expanded cushion.

As one of an illustrative embodiment I have shown in FIG. 1 a chair having a body or frame 10 supported on the legs 11, and formed of a material such as metal, or more preferably resin-impregnated glass fabric, so as to be conformable to a shell-like structure capable of ac- 3,126,229 Patented Mar. 24, 1964 commodating the seat and back cushions generally indicated at 12 and 13, and of presenting the later described retaining flanges.

Referring to FIG. 2, a frame or body structure 10 is shown to comprise a bottom 14 to which is attached the shell structure which includes an upstanding, horizontally concave back 15 peripherally defined by a flange 16. A similar flange 17 extends about the front and forward sides of the seat bottom 14. The two flanges 16 and 17 have enlarged flange junctures 13 of generally angular or triangular configuration, located at the rear of the seat and bottom of the back, Where the cushions 12 and 13 come together. The flanges 16, 17 and 18 are turned inwardly and into the cushion receiving recesses 19 and 20 peripherally bounded by the flanges, thus to present the in-turned flange edges at 20 and 21 which serve to releasably confine the cushions as will now appear.

The cushion composites 12 and 13 comprise compres sible seats of foam rubber 22 and 23, the normal (expanded) thicknesses of which are greater than the distances of the flange edges 20 and 21, from the bases of the recesses 19 and 20. Consequently, when thrust into the recesses and outwardly beneath the flange edges, the latter serve to hold the foam rubber in considerably compressed condition between the flange edges and the surfaces of the back 15 and seat 14, preferably with some expansion allowed the cushion outwardly beyond the flange edges so that the latter act to locally retain maximum compression of the foam cushions.

The cushions have a covering which preferably constitutes fabric pieces 24a and 24b unattached to the cushions, so that the covering may be separately replaced, cleaned, repaired, or given any other treatment. Plastic fabric is found to be a desirable covering material, since it is equally suited for indoor furniture, as Well as for outdoor patio chairs, and the like.

For the purpose of upholstering the chair, it is only necessary to insert the foam rubber cushion sections 22 and 23, thrusting them peripherally beneath the flanges 20 and 21, and then to similarly apply the covering 24, ie by thrusting it outwardly between the flanges and the compressed cushions. The compressed condition of the latter serves independently of any other securing means, to releasably hold the fabric to the flanges in a condition such that the fabric is retained outwardly bulged by the cushion, and tensioned sufliciently to present and retain a desirably smooth and regular surface.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a variational form of the invention applicable to other seating equipment such as bar stools, with or without backs. Here the seat shell 26 is shown to have an inwardly turned curved flange 27, like flange 17 in FIG. 2, which may be formed as a single integral part of the shell 26, or as a flange rim 28 attached thereto. As before, the cushion composite 29 comprises a foam rubber cushion 30 and covering 31 peripherally clamped between the cushion and flange 27, solely by the expansive force of the compressed cushion against the flange edge. The stool back 32 may be similarly upholstered by forming the back as a shell with an inturned flange 33, like the upper extent of flange 16 in FIG. 2, beneath which the foam rubber cushion 34 and its covering 35 are retained by compression of the cushion.

It is found that accommodation of the cushions and covering beneath the retaining flanges may be facilitated by peripherally beveling the cushions to present opposite the side engaged by the retaining flange, an angular or equivalent surface 36 which, as shown in FIG. 3, permits deflection of the cushion with allowance of suflicient space at 37 to assure against crowding of the cushion within the flange-formed recess.

Similarly, to assure smooth meeting conformance of the interengaging edges of the cushion in the chair form of the invention, the cushion edges may be correspondingly beveled at 38, in FIG. 2, so that their edges may come flatly together and present regular surfaces between which the coverings 24a and 24!) may be smoothly tucked, as shown.

As terminology distinctions between the larger cushionreceiving spaces which, as at 19 and 20, have been termed recesses, the peripheral spaces defined by and with in the flanges, e.g. 16, 17 and 18, being in the form of elongated recesses will be termed channels or channel spaces.

I claim:

1. Seating furniture comprising:

(A) A frame structure containing a recessed cushion area peripherally defined by a flange turned inwardly of and into said area, said flange defining the inner side of a channel space open to said area and presenting thereto a cushion retaining edge;

(B) a cushion of elastically compressible material in said recess and extending beneath and beyond said flange into said channel space;

(C) and a covering applied to said cushion and also extending beneath and beyond said flange in engagement therewith;

the normal cushion thickness beneath the flange being greater than the spacing of said flange edge from the base of said recessed cushion area so that when the cushion and covering are inserted beneath said edge, the cushion is compressed to releasably retain the covering smoothly tensioned against and bulging from the flange edge.

2. Furniture as defined by claim 1, in which said covering is unattached to the cushion and the cushion is unattached to said frame structure other than by confine ment beneath said flange.

3. Furniture as defined by claim 1, in which said flange is an integral portion of said frame and surrounds said area, the flange being curved inwardly of said recess to a degree localizing the compression eifect at and along said edge.

4. Furniture as defined in claim 1, in which the thickness of said pad is reduced along its edge for accommodation in said recess.

5. Furniture as defined in claim 4, in which the edge of the pad is beveled outwardly from said area and flange edge thereby to form said thickness reduction.

6. A chair comprising:

(A) A frame structure including a seat portion and an upstanding back portion;

(B) said seat portion containing a recessed cushion area peripherally defined along its front and sides by a flange turned inwardly of and into said area, said flange defining the inner side of a channel space open to said area and presenting thereto a cushion retaining edge;

(C) said back portion containing a recessed cushion area peripherally defined along its top and sides by a flange turned inwardly of and into the area the last mentioned flange also defining the inner edge of a channel open to the last mentioned area and presenting thereto a cushion retaining edge;

(D) cushions of elastically compressible material in said recesses and extending beneath and beyond said flanges into said channel spaces;

(E) and coverings applied to said cushions and extending beneath and beyond said flanges in engagement therewith;

the normal thickness of each cushion beneath the flanges being greater than the spacings of said flange edges from the bases of said recessed cushion areas so that when the cushions and coverings are inserted beneath the flanges the cushions are compressed to releasablyretain the coverings smoothly tensioned and bulging from the flange edges.

7. A chair as defined by claim 6, in which said cushions are made of foam rubber having reduced edge thickness for accommodation in said channels.

8. A chair as defined by claim 6, in which the rear of said recessed seat area openly communicates with the bottom of the back portion recessed area, and said flange edges are joined near the locus of such communication.

9. A chair as defined by claim 6, in which said flanges include relatively Wide portions at the side junctures of said seat and back portions and presenting angular intersections of the seat and back flange edges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,808,875 Bargen Oct. 7, 1957 2,901,028 Bottemiller Aug. 25, 1959 2,993,733 Pinkham July 25, 1961 3,001,824 Wiener Sept. 26, 1961 3,019,051 Nugent Jan. 30, 1962 

1. SEATING FURNITURE COMPRISING: (A) A FRAME STRUCTURE CONTAINING A RECESSED CUSHION AREA PERPHERALLY DEFINED BY A FLANGE TURNED INWARDLY OF AND INTO SAID AREA, SAID FLANGE DEFINING THE INNER SIDE OF A CHANNEL SPACE OPEN TO SAID AREA AND PRESENTING THERETO A CUSHION RETAINING EDGE; (B) A CUSHION OF ELASTICALLY COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL IN SAID RECESS AND EXTENDING BENEATH AND BEYOND SAID FLANGE INTO SAID CHANNEL SPACE; (C) AND A COVERING APPLIED TO SAID CUSHION AND ALSO EXTENDING BENEATH AND BEYOND SAID FLANGE IN ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; THE NORMAL CUSHION THICKNESS BENEATH THE FLANGE BEING GREATER THAN THE SPACING OF SAID FLANGE EDGE FROM THE BASE OF SAID RECESSED CUSHION AREA SO THAT WHEN THE CUSHION AND COVERING ARE INSERTED BENEATH SAID EDGE, THE CUSHION IS COMPRESSED TO RELEASABLY RETAIN THE COVERING SMOOTHLY TENSIONED AGAINST AND BULGING FROM THE FLANGE EDGE. 